Treating back problems cost Americans more than $30 billion in 2007 - up from $16 billion in 1997 (in 2007 dollars), according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

According to the analysis by the federal agency, in 2007 about 27 million people, or nearly 12 percent of adults age 18 and older, reported having back problems. Of course, more than 19 million sought medical treatment.

The federal agency also found that:
In 2007, two-thirds of the total spent for treatment of back problems went to pay physicians, chiropractors, and physical therapists for ambulatory care and for prescription drugs ($18 billion and $4.5 billion, respectively).

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Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, www.ahrq.gov